Tanya Holland

Experience

Tanya Holland held various positions in the restaurant industry prior to making her mark in the kitchen — as a front of house manager, assistant sommelier, and catering manager in New York City. After training in France, she worked her way up the ranks in eateries such as Mesa Grill, The Oyster Bar, and L’Etoile, eventually helming the kitchens at The Delux Café in Boston and The Victory Kitchen in Brooklyn. Holland moved to California to open her first restaurant, The Brown Sugar Kitchen, in Oakland to glowing reviews. It received the coveted Michelin Guide's Bib Gourmand for nine consecutive years and was named among the best barbecue and soul food restaurant by Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, and Ebony Magazine, among others. In addition to her writing, teaching, and television appearances, Holland hosts the Tanya's Table podcast where she has interviewed such guests as Alice Waters, Samin Nosrat, Carla Hall, Danny Meyer, and Phil Rosenthal.